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MGHers POPP!

MGH Privacy Office launches "Protect Our Patients' Privacy"campaign

MGHERS POPP: A series of MGHers POPP posters are on display across from the MGH General Store.

Every day, members of the hospital workforce protect and secure patient information. Jonathan Sanchez of MGH Buildings and Grounds is just one example of an employee who helped to safeguard patient privacy. Last winter, he happened upon some unattended paperwork and was concerned that the documents could contain protected health information (PHI). Using his cell phone, he took photos of the papers and immediately contacted the MGH Privacy Office, which responded to the scene and determined the paperwork did not contain PHI.

Sanchez's response to the situation is an excellent example of an MGH employee making patient privacy a priority. To help raise awareness of this priority, the MGH Privacy Office has launched a new campaign, entitled "MGHers POPP!" The acronym stands for "Protect Our Patients' Privacy."

"Every single minute of the day, our patients' privacy comes first,"says Paula Moran, MGH Privacy and Security manager. "So you could say that MGHers are always expected to POPP! Our aim with this campaign is to remind our workforce, including volunteers, to stop and think before doing anything that may compromise the patients' privacy. Whether it is transporting PHI on a laptop, portable USB drive, or paperwork; discussing patient care; or faxing PHI, we hope our employees will stop and ask themselves, "does this POPP?'"

All MGH workforce members are invited to share how they POPP for the chance to win a variety of prizes. Winners will be selected at random for a pair of tickets to the Aug. 17 Red Sox game against the Tampa Bay Rays; a $100 gift certificate to Pops Restaurant, located in the South End; a behind-the-scenes tour for ten of Symphony Hall, home of the Boston Pops; a Coach handbag from their Poppy line; or a pair of tickets to watch the July 4 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on the Esplanade, courtesy of The Liberty Hotel.

To participate in the MGHers POPP raffle, employees and volunteers can submit how they POPP in 50 words or less by email to mghpopp@partners.org or via interoffice mail to the MGH Privacy Office, Founders 860. The contest runs through June 30, and winners will be announced in an upcoming issue of MGH Hotline. For more information about MGHers POPP, access http://intranet.massgeneral.org/hipaa/index.html?popp.html.